The main telephone companies, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, in Australia as always are putting in a great deal of effort to attract new subscribers and sell products to their loyal customers. As communications technology advances all the phone companies have to adapt in order to keep up with the current trends; otherwise, customers will turn to another company to meet their needs. One thing for sure is that telecommunications always seem to be in the forefront when it comes to technological innovations.
The latest to be released soon is the eSIM or SIM less handset. This will mean that once you have the phone in your hands you won’t have to put a SIM card in it. These are likely to be released in Australia in 2017, giving the Australian Telcos more opportunity to find innovative ways to attract customers. Meanwhile, feature after feature is being offered by Telstra. At times, this can be quite overwhelming and in the long term can add quite a lot to your annual communications/ entertainment costs.
A lot of people like the convenience of accessing what they want, where they want and when they want it. This is what phone companies are tapping into, adding flexibility to people’s lives. This flexibility does not come cheap but you do have the choice.
Easy calling and data access are important
As a general rule the most important package as a starter for most Aussies is access to phone and data and Telstra does offer an anywhere phone and data package. The catch is that neither Telstra nor any other Aussie Telco covers the country completely, so before choosing Telstra check to make sure their service covers the area you frequent the most. If that’s the case, the best deal on offer at the moment is using your phone with their SIM. You can get 7GB of data a month with a potential of 2GB of bonus data added to that. That doesn’t seem too bad at $40 a month, but you are tied to it for 12 months, which will cost $480 at a minimum.
Sport and Telstra
Telstra researchers don’t need to even think whether their sports viewing packages are likely to sell, as they know that sport is very popular in Australia. Even if you don’t play a sport yourself you can get off the couch and be entertained anywhere where there is Telstra coverage by using the mobile entertainment options on Go Mobile Plus plans which cover such things as AFL Live pass, NRL Digital Pass and Netball Live.
What is more important and makes listening and viewing so easy on the go is that everything can be accessed using the Telstra TV + App which offers live sport anywhere. There is no need to even go home and get the popcorn and VB out as you can watch it on your tablet at the beach, in your car, or even on the ski slopes of the Snowy Mountains, let alone in the cockpit of your yacht in the Whitsundays, as long as you can get data coverage.
With the same Telstra TV + App you can be entertained by new music, the latest movies and the most popular TV shows.
The Apple Music Data-Free is provided by Telstra too, where you can get access to the best music ever almost anywhere as long as there is at least 3G coverage. At the same time, Telstra boasts that it has the widest 4G coverage of any other mobile network throughout the country which improves quality and access to all its mobile deals.
Telstra offers Foxtel if that’s what you prefer
You can access Foxtel from Telstra and have the chance to view the widest selection of live sport, shows and movies on all the different types of media devices you own, such as your TV, mobile and tablet. You can even change your package every month to meet your needs. By using Foxtel Go, you are able to view live or stream your preferred shows or sporting events while on the go. If you don’t have a Foxtel plan, new customers are being offered the Entertainment and Sports Package for approximately $422 a year as long as you are a current Telstra customer.
At home entertainment packages
Not everyone likes to take their entertainment with them in their briefcase or pocket. If you are the stay at home type and love your big screen TV Telstra packages offer their Home Internet Medium Bundle that includes Foxtel from Telstra, Presto, Telstra TV and BigPond Movies.
Vodafone determined to stay in the limelight
Vodafone is keeping up-to-date with its customers by offering a subscription to Spotify Premium, Stan and the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) online for 12 months. From this bundle of entertainment comes unlimited access to music, hour upon hour of movie and TV access and breaking news in real-time. These are all available to new customers who sign up to a Vodafone Red Play plan. For current Vodafone customers, this would be an upgrade.
You can download your favourite tunes and listen to them later with the best HD sound quality known. Stan offers a huge variety of movies and TV shows without the interruption of unwanted ads. The SMH offers not only the most current news but you also have access to an unlimited range of articles from both the SMH and The Age, so you miss nothing when it comes to past and present Australian affairs.
If by now you are not exhausted scanning what your phone providers have to offer and deciding whether you are a canned entertainment addict or not, just watch out for the launch by Telstra of Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones on October 20th. Telstra has said that their network is a perfect match for Google Pixel phones, which will be offering Google Assistant. This is intelligent software, allowing users to take part in a natural conversation with the phone. They will be able to ask for advice on anything from the quickest route to a particular theatre to restaurant suggestions nearby once the show is over. Telstra firmly believes that this device will help to make the smartphone more of a focal point for the modern Australian.